Tessa in CoHF
by anubunny99
Summary: This was written before the release of CoHF, and it's about how I thought Tessa would "meet the family" and be incorporated into CoHF.


TESSA

**Note: This was written before the release of CoHF**

Tessa's heart started accelerating as she rang the doorbell of Magnus's apartment. It was soon became evident that he was not home, and felt her annoyance building. Muttering under her breath about unreliable warlocks, she started dialing up Magnus's number, and remembered bright brown eyes that she had only previously knew to be a radiant silver.

The last time he had seen Jem had been at a cafe, right after their annual meeting at Blackfriars bridge, where they ate and talked until they were kicked out. Seeing Jem, with his humanity returned, had utterly overwhelmed her. He looked beautiful, older and different, and she could feel their lost love returning, filling her heart, which had been devoid for so long.

Tessa told Jem about her many adventures around the world, and the knowledge she gained. She could never have learned the violin, but decided to learn the piano, (from Mozart himself), remembering Will's perfect-for-the-piano hands, and Jem's love for music. She told him about how eventually she realized she could be a Shadowhunter with proper training. She told him about the Institute of Shanghai, where about learning Mandarin Chinese. She told him of her decades of hopping from city to city, simply living and experiencing, like all the characters in her favorite books.

While walking through the very park where Jessamine killed a goblin, Jem filled her in to all the misfortunes in New York and Idris, learning about her great great great grandchild, feeling guilt well up inside her, and then being reassured by Jem's soft voice and strong presence.

She remembered her dismay when a Silent Brother appeared in a carriage by their side, and ordered Jem back to complete the last ritual that would set him truly free. Jem had looked worriedly at Tessa, who told him that she needed to gather her belongings anyways, her voice choking up with happiness at the delightful turn of events. Jem had left her with an address and phone number, and pinch of hope.

Magnus finally picked up on the fifth ring "Tessa, you're finally here! Back to where you started, huh?"

Tessa's mind still reeling back from the past, she muttered a hasty "Yes."

Annoyance clear in her voice, Tessa yelled into the phone "Where are you?! I've been ringing your doorbell for days!" Tessa satisfyingly smirked at the phone at the use of her sarcasm and hyperbole. They are valued tools in the modern world, she learned.

"Oh, yea, I forgot to mention, I'm at the New York Institute!" Magnus poured excitement and cheeriness into his voice, but Tessa could tell by the abundance of it that he was less than happy.

Groaning, Tessa told him he was on her way, hung up, and took a deep breath before whistling for a taxi.

Jace's knee bobbed up and down as he listened to Maryse talk about "battle strategy" and "plans of action," and all Jace could think about was that his hand was missing a Seraph blade, and his muscles were crying out for activity, especially since the library was the most inactive room in the Institute. Why couldn't the plan just be _action_? He pondered, itching to get back to the training room, where he had been trying out the new misericords until he was called to the meeting.

Alec and Izzy listened intently, the former only slightly distracted by the sulking warlock in the corner. Clary was sitting by Jocelyn and Luke's feet, smiling at Jace every couple of minutes, but otherwise lost in her own world. Simon sat on the window seat, basking in the daylight, the boastful vampire.

"And finally..." Maryse's voice died away, as she looked around and saw the lack of attention we were giving her. "You all aren't even listening are you? This is important stuff! This can be the difference between life and death!" Her face had become splotchy, with patches of red and white.

"Maryse, we're listening, but the threat is gone-" Luke responded, with the intention of calming her down.

"For now! We still need to know what to do when the threat comes back!"

" We'll kick ass, of course. What more do we need to do?" Jace interjected, and received a glare from Maryse.

"To be honest, I'm quite bored with this all too... Why am I here again?" Magnus drolled. His ubiquitous cheeriness had disappeared, and his overall appearance really had diminished since breaking up with Alex.

"Maybe we should take a break!" Izzy said, in an all too cheery voice.

Maryse turned her gaze on Isabelle, and finally relented, huffing out a warning of five minutes.

Alec walked over to Magnus and they started whispering harshly.

Clary promptly got up and made her way to me when the bell started ringing.

"Who could that be?" Clary thought out loud. Maryse hurriedly walked out, the door closing behind her. Jace reached out to Clary, drew her to him, putting his forehead to hers, needing her presence, the only one that could grant him peace. He began nuzzling her soft pink cheek when the door burst open, causing Clary to spin around, her wild red hair escaping from her artistically made bun.

Jace took in a tall young woman, wide grey eyes, that looked like they had seen much, flitting about the room, and brown hair done with dozens of pins, managing to look both modern and old fashioned. She was plain, yet beautiful, with only a pearl watch and a jade necklace for jewelry. The woman's eyes caught a hold of Magnus, who had a small smile on his face, and came alive with energy. She gracefully skipped over and tackle-hugged Magnus, who had already began to laugh softly.

The woman murmured into his ears, while Magnus stroked her back, almost protectively. Meanwhile, Alec stood there, shocked, and then scowled, muttering something that sounded like: "Oh look, another one!"

Then, she stepped back, and smacked Magnus in the face.

"What happened to you? You look awful, no offense! How much trouble have you actually been in? Jem told me all about what's been happening here, and yet I could tell he was holding back some things. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Especially since this recent 'battle' I've been informed of? You could have at least called me! You know I would have helped!" She rattled off to a sheepish looking Magnus, who was formulating a response while the woman took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to give you some more time to yourself, some peace, before the chaos here." Magnus said, in a surprisingly sweet and concerned voice. The woman softened and seemed to realize that there were other people in the room.

"Magnus, could you introduce me?"

With some gusto returning, Magnus replied, "I'm sure you'll able to guess some of them yourself," and smiled furtively.

The woman started inspecting everyone, starting with Isabelle and Alec, and exclaimed, "Lightwoods! Oh, they're Cecily and Gabriel's, aren't they?" Alec and Izzy looked at her in confusion as Magnus nodded and she moved on to Simon, and gasped. "The Daylighter! I had heard rumors of him, but I didn't know they were true..."

"Simon, here, drank the blood of a Shadowhunter, a Shadowhunter with angel blood."

Simon stared at Magnus, aghast. "Magnus! You can't just walk around telling long lost girlfriends my secrets!"

"Watch me," Magnus replied. "Oh, and by the way, she is NOT my girlfriend. That would be all kinds of weird..." He looked at the woman sideways, and she shuddered for a response. Simon was still waiting pointedly for an explanation, to which Magnus said, "Oh don't worry, you can trust her! She'll probably be here for a while anyways."

She then moved onto Maryse and Luke, whom she did not know, and Magnus introduced, and landed on Clary and Jocelyn with a smile.

"Hello Jocelyn! Nice to see you again! And, I see the lack of height still does runs in the family." She said, winking at Clary with a smile.

"Ok, ok, so you somehow know who we all are. So... Who exactly are you?" Clary replied with her hand on her hip. "And I am fun size, not short!"

"Clary, meet Tessa Gray," Jocelyn said, brushing aside Clary's rudeness. "I met her a while ago, and as a matter of fact, you did, too, when you were very little."

"Being short isn't bad you know. The strongest and most capable woman I know was shorter than you." Tessa replied, with a far away look on her face.

"Well, I bet you don't know me! Or, perhaps you do, I suppose I am pretty famous and all in the Downworld, along with being the best Shadowhunter that has walked the earth since, forever. But I doubt you can recognize my handsome face!" Jace said with a slight smirk.

Tessa had turned towards Jace and promptly froze, as the blush left her cheeks, leaving her a ghost. Magnus, noticing her rigidness, came up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she whispered a single word.

"Herondale."

Tessa was aware that she was gazing at this boy, but she couldn't help it. Meeting the others had been fine, bringing back memories, but tolerable. This boy, however, rattled her, caught her totally out of guard.

Though he had blond hair and green eyes, all she could see was the way he held himself, his haughty way of talking, the kindness and compassion that hid behind his eyes. She felt herself slowly recreating his image, turning it into her wild, black haired-blue eyed boy. The boy she fell in love with.

A hand fell upon her shoulder, snapping her from her reverie, though she was still unable to move. She whispered the answer to what Magnus was looking for, and was promptly turned to find her face buried in his shoulder.

"It's ok." He murmured, pulling away to look her in the eyes. "You can survive this. You already did. You know this is why I didn't contact you earlier." His catlike yellow irises flashed, "Prove me wrong."

Tessa gathered up her wits, straightened her spine, and turned around with a small smile.

"Hello, you must be Jace."

He hesitated, and said, "How did you know that I'm a Herondale? Even I didn't know myself until very recently."

"Oh, why, I suppose I am your," Tessa counted on her fingers, "great great great grandmother. I know what you've done, Jace, and I couldn't be prouder." She said this with admiration and pride clear in her eyes, confusing Jace even more than he had already been.

Shocked flashed over his face, but was quickly smoothed over. However, he couldn't keep the tears appearing in eyes, and Tessa couldn't help marvel at how her own and Will's traits carried through to this boy.

"It helps to look upon bright objects."

Tessa whispered, and Jace turned to stone.

"I don't believe you." He stated, defiantly, after blinking and staring at the light over Tessa.

"I suppose it would help if I told you my story." Tessa began, and saw that everyone was in agreement. "Until I was sixteen, I thought I was a normal human being. When I was kidnapped by the warlocks I call, the Dark Sisters, I found out that I have the ability to shape-shift. It's easier to just show you what that means, so… Isabelle, may I have a personal item of yours? A ring, necklace…"

Isabelle, awed by Tessa, gave her her necklace, and Tessa grasped it in her palm and closed her eyes. She felt her bones growing and transforming, and knew she had changed when she heard a collective gasp from everyone but Magnus. Tessa opened her eyes, and found that it was very hard to penetrate Isabelle's thoughts.

"Whoa, does your voice sound like Isabelle's too?" Simon asked, curiosity ringing in his inflection.

"Yes, it does, as you can see. Usually, I can touch people's minds when I change into them." Isabelle paled at that, but Tessa smiled and said, "But I can't feel your mind at all. You are a strong woman Isabelle Lightwood." Izzy blushed, but stayed straightened and tall, and Tessa changed back to herself.

"Anyways, I was rescued by Will, William Herondale."

"Wait, Will Herondale?" Alec said, uncertainly, and sneaked a glance at Magnus.

"Yes, Alexander, Will Herondale," Magnus said, with a smirk.

After a beat of tensed silence, Tessa continued,"Ooh-kay… moving on! Will took me to the Institute, showed me the world of Shadowhunters. Back then, Charlotte Fairchild," Tessa looked pointedly at Jocelyn and Clary, "ran the London Institute, and she went on to be the first female Consul, too. They took me in, because I had no where to go, and there Mortmain, the Magister, was after me. He "created" me, the shape-shifter I am. Elizabeth Gray and Adele Starkweather, were changelings: Adele was brought to the Gray family and thought she was human, and Elizabeth was brought to the Starkweather family, and she thought she was a Shadowhunter. The Real Elizabeth died from her first runes, but my mother, Elizabeth, lived as a Shadowhunter without runes. So when Mortmain sent a demon in the shape of her husband, well, I was born, half-Shadowhunter, half-Demon, and able to Shape-Shift. Long story short: Mortmain was an adopted human by two warlocks, and his warlock father was going to make a clockwork army. When some Shadowhunters killed Mortmain's father and mother, he asked for Reparations, but he was refused, and turned his anger onto Shadowhunters. But he needed his father's formula, and since I can shape-shift into dead people...However, I had this clockwork angel necklace, which held a piece of an angel, the angel Ithuriel, and so I changed into the angel, crushed Mortmain, therefore dismantling the army, and nearly burnt myself with heavenly fire!"

There was a pause and Clary spoke up.

"The angel Ithuriel, you said? His blood is in my veins, and Jace's. We are my father, Valentine's, experiments. How ironic! Jace nearly burnt himself with heavenly fire too…" She muttered on, almost to herself.

"But I don't understand, how am I related to you?" Jace spoke as if Clary hadn't said a thing.

"I am… a unique creature. Some kind of warlock. Which means, I am immortal, but I can have children, and Will was my husband, you are my grandchild Jace."

"Wait, Will, he was a Shadowhunter? He-he died?" Alec asked.

"Yes," Tessa said, a look of pure agony on her face.

"And he aged while you didn't? Why didn't you, I don't know, find a way to make him immortal?"

Tessa looked at him in surprise. "What? No, I-I never thought of it. I don't think Will did either, though I doubt he would have wanted too… As for the aging business, he always looked like the young boy I fell in love with."

"See Alexander, now that's how real love-" Magnus started.

"Why didn't I know about you? Why didn't anyone know about you?! Why didn't you know about me?! Do you have any idea, how horrible my childhood was? My father, who wasn't even my real father, faked his death and left me, alone! I have been alone my whole entire life, just barely befriending Alec and Izzy, when I could've had you all along! What kind of mother are you? How could you not even look after your own children?" Jace exclaimed, fury written plainly on his face. His face was flushed, outraged, and brought pangs of pain to Tessa's heart.

Tessa choked with guilt, "Jace…"

"No!" Jace seemed to be at a loss of words, and not knowing what to do, he stormed away, Clary following shortly at his heels.

"Magnus, what have I done? He's right! How could I have been so careless?

Magnus put his arm around Tessa and steered her away, "Excuse us for a moment! Perhaps you could continue that boring lecture thin, now, Maryse!" Magnus led Tessa to the hallway, where Tessa turned away as she let a few tears loose, not wanting him to see.

"Stop it Tessa. Don't let guilt devour you," he said, not unkindly. "You know why you left your children to live their own lives."

"But it is such a selfish thing to do!"

"Tessa, you assumed your children would live normal Shadowhunter lives. How could you have known that one of them would be left alone, an orphan? Perhaps you should have checked up on them a bit more, but no one can blame you for not doing so. And even if you did, after his father's death, you wouldn't have known about Jace's existence!"

"But what can I do now? He's mad at me, and I can't stand it! How can he not know, that even though I only just met him, I love him already?"

"Because he doesn't know YOU yet, and has never known a mother other than Maryse, who's love is stony and concealed. So get to know him, and show him you love him. Jem is staying here, to help them with their war, and I assume you will too. Might as well get to know the boy. There's nothing you can do to prevent it."

Tessa wiped her tears, and decided to go find Jace's room right away. She lightly knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, it opened up to Clary.

"Don't hurt him." She warned, firmly.

Tessa widened her eyes, and solemnly sweared,"I promise," and Clary strode away, although how she was able to with her short legs was beyond Tessa.

Walking into the room, she noticed that either a hurricane had hit it, or Jace himself. She figured Jace was the likelier choice.

"Jace, my baby, please, forgive me. It is a selfish thing I have done, letting my children live their lives separately from me. If I had come here earlier, I would have seen you, recognized you, and known that the Herondale line is still alive; I thought it died with Stephen, you see," Tessa said softly, her voice cracking with emotion she could not contain.

Jace squinted at her in what seemed like pure confusion.

"After Will died, I fled in despair. I knew, there was no way on Earth, I would be able to survive my children growing older than me, and their deaths. I figured, they didn't need me. They probably wouldn't want their mother hanging around, anyways. But while your father was alive, I couldn't come, for he surely would've killed me! If I had known...I love you Jace, already, and you have no idea how sorry I am, how wicked I feel, by ignoring you then. You have every right to despise me, but I still want to get to know you, since, I will be around for a while I suppose. So, what do you say? Will you give me a chance?"

Jace, who had been staring out the window the whole time, finally looked at Tessa, rummaged through a box on the end table, and took out a book.

"You are very good with words, aren't you? I think you might want this. It's one of my favorites too."

Tessa took one look at the book and knew what it was. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't help but let them fall, as she leafed through the pages she had read decades ago.

"A Tale of Two Cities. And Will's note. Thank you Jace." She looked at Jace with awe and hugged the worn book to her chest. "I can't believe it's been passed down the family this long..." She muttered to herself.

Jace, who had become very uncomfortable when Tessa started crying, decided to turn the conversation humorous, as is his ability.

"So… do I call you Grandma Tessa? Granny Tessa? Grams?" He said, with a smile on his face.

Tessa's laughter filled the air, but stopped with a serious question.

"You could call me mother. It's been a long time since I have been one, and I think I should like it very much." She said, timidly, afraid of his reaction.

Jace thought about Maryse, how she had been there, not Tessa. How she would sing lullabies to him, even when he would deny them. There was no way he could call this woman "mother," even though she had struck into his heart and caught him so off guard.

"I can't do that to Maryse. She is and will always be my first mother. But, as you might know, she's not very touchy-feely, and I was wondering... How a mother's embrace would feel like..." He looked down at the floor, suddenly shy and embarrassed. Tessa came closer to Jace, who looked up, stepped forward, and curiously embraced her. There were many times in his childhood when he wondered what a mother's embrace would feel like, and it felt much safer, and warmer than he could ever have imagined it to be.

Tessa and Magnus got back to the apartment much later than they had expected too, with Tessa catching up with Jocelyn and Magnus, all tension dissipated. Magnus showed her a room across from Jem's, which Tessa laughed out loud at. While she waited for Jem to come back, she reread the note from Will, even though she could recite it by heart in her sleep, and started rereading the book as well.

"Tessa, someone's here for you!" Magnus yelled, childish delight in his voice. Tessa looked up to see Jem walk into the room, with a wide smile.

She took in a deep breath, and even though she had seen him just two days ago, her heart had been aching for him. She leaped up and walked up to him, till there was barely an inch between them, and whispered, "Jem. You're back."

"Yes, and I'm yours, for the rest of my life." He replied, and when Tessa smiled, so did Jem, his face lighting up like the sun, and Tessa, a sunflower, felt herself reaching for her sun. Tessa's lips met Jem's and the sweetness of the seemingly permanent drug was gone, replaced with the citrusy sweet taste of oranges. Her senses were overwhelmed with Jem, Jem, Jem everywhere.

"Marry me, Tessa," Jem said against her lips, smiling. "Marry me,"

Tessa broke away and smirked, "I thought we were already engaged?" And she pulled put the jade necklace.

"I just want to hear it from you, now that so much has changed, I hoped this wouldn't. Just say yes Tessa. Say you'll marry me." Jem was fervent with passion, almost frantic.

"Yes, James, I will marry you." Tessa said, and they resumed kissing. Jem kicked the door close and pushed Tessa towards the bed. The felt each other, the changes throughout the long years apart. Everything had changed, and yet, everything was the same. As clothes scattered on the floor, Jem paused and remarked, "I see we still need a chaperone, huh?"

"It's the 21st Century! And besides, we're getting married anyways." She smiled, with a touch of sadness, and bought his mouth back towards her, filling her with a bliss she hadn't felt for a long, long time.

"If you only needed one room, I would have gotten only one of them ready, you know?" Magnus said, with amused annoyance.

"You can probably get a room ready with the flick of our wrist, is it really that much trouble?" Tessa replied.

"Yes, yes it is. My wrist is very delicate you know."

Jem scoffed. "So are we going to the Institute today?"

"Yes, apparently they have a new lead and need me to check it. Why did I get so involved with Shadowhunters again?"

"Speaking of which, why are you helping them?" Tessa asked.

"You mean other than because of the kindness that resides in my heart? Alec is my ex."

Tessa spluttered on her milk. "What?! I thought you vowed to never date a Shadowhunter."

"I couldn't help it. I've always had a weakness for black haired blue eyed boys." He winked at Tessa.

"Please don't tell me you liked Will..."

"Whaat? No of course not! Although I did kiss him once..."

This time both Tessa and Jem spluttered.

"Got to go! See ya lovebirds!" Magnus yelled, and swooped out of the room.

Tessa and Jem exchanged looks, and shrugged.

Blood was rushing through Jace's veins, as the daggers flew out of his hands, striking their intended objects, and managing to swerve around Alec's arrows, which embedded in the soft flesh of the demons. Or more accurately, the cloth of the dummies in the Institute Training Room.

Jace and Alec had started by just showing Clary an attack move, and ending up doing other more complex plans until sweat broke out on their foreheads.

"And that's how you do it," Jace said defiantly, huffing even with angel blood.

"Ummm, why have such an elaborate plan, when you could have just used Alec as a distraction and shoot the daggers at the demons?" Clary wondered.

The doors to the room burst open, and Tessa and Jem walked in hand in hand, with Jocelyn and Luke in row.

"Let me guess, Glory! Beauty! Fun!" Tessa replied.

"Exactly!" Jace cried.

"Boys!" Tessa and Clary cried: Tessa with a smile, Clary in exasperation, and proceeded throwing daggers at the only dummy that was left unscathed.

Jem cleared his throat, and everyone turned towards him. "I just wanted to let you know that Tessa and I are to be married at the earliest convenience."

"What?" Jace choked.

"What about your HUSBAND, Will?" Alec asked, curiously.

"Oh how perfect! Luke and I are getting married too. We can have a double wedding!" Jocelyn cried.

"That would be nice," Tessa said, "Alec, Jem and Will were parabatai. When I was sixteen, I fell in love with both of them, and they loved me. They didn't know it until much later, when I was engaged to Jem. But then, because of his illness, he became a Silent Brother."

"And Silent Brothers can't marry. So you married Will." Alec said.

"Yes. But now, Jem is cured, and this is exactly what Will would have wanted."

"How do you know though?"

"Because, Will kept his love for me a secret when Jem and I were engaged."

"So, now what, you're just going to forget the life you spent with Will, and create a new life?" Alec asked coldly.

"No!" Tessa said passionately. "There is nothing that could make me forget Will. I LOVED him. And I love Jem too. I have, millennia more of life to live, and I am not going to live them alone and in despair. I plan on living as much as I can!"

"Ok." Alec said quietly, almost submissively, but Jace still looked upon Tessa with disapproval written on his face.

"Are you ok with this?" Tessa asked Jace.

"You're asking me?"

"Well yes. I value your opinion."

Jace's lips tugged at the corners, barely able to contain a smile. "Soo if I said no, you would agree?"

"No, I would try to convince you to agree." Tessa said defiantly, and smiled after a beat, taking Jace's response as an ok. She walked over to the wall of weapons, and grabbed a sword, weighing it in her hand. "Hey Jem, I learned quite a lot about combat since we last met. Wanna see?" She teased Jem, who had been leaning against the wall, light and serene. He sprung up and opened his mouth to say something when Jace interrupted.

"I think I would. Show me what you've got, Grams!" He smiled wickedly and threw a knife at her which was swept aside with the sword in her hand. She advanced towards him, sword in hand, slightly fuming, and yet slightly amused.

Their swords crossed, clinging and slashing through the air; Jace performing complicated maneuvers with his wrists, and Tessa deftly blocking him. Time flew in a blur, just like the two fighters, and Have found himself surprised to be sweating. Soon, however, Tessa felt herself tiring, and quick as a wink, changed into Isabelle, causing Jace to double-take, and Tessa to lunge forward, seizing the opportunity. Jace spun out of the way, back flipped, and knocked the sword out of Tessa's hands.

"Angle-blood, remember?" He taunted. "You're good though."

"I've had years of experience." Tessa replied, and looked towards Jem, who was still gaping with awe.

"Tessa, you're-you're amazing! Do you, uh, consider yourself a Shadowhunter?"

"Well, I occasionally go after demons, when I'm otherwise bored or feeling reckless. So I guess I am a Shadowhunter, jut like you."

"I'm not a Shadowhunter, Tessa, not anymore. I don't know how to be one without Will."

"Wow, I don't think I ever realized how life would be like without your parabatai..." Alec trailed off, seeming to be talking to himself, and glanced at Jace.

"Never you fear, Alec! I don't plan on dying anytime soon!" Jace winked at Alec.

"JACE LIGHTWOOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY (insert item)"

"Oh, I, um..."

"Lightwood? Jace, why did she call you a Lightwood...?" Tessa interrupted.

"Because I wanted to be a Lightwood. After my identity crisis, I realized I already was one, although now I don't know what I am..."

Tessa was struck with the sudden thought, that this boy, the last of her descendants, was going to erase the name of Herondale from all Shadowhunters.

Jem, noticing her fear, spoke up. "You know what Will would say now, don't you..."

A smile couldn't help but appear on her face, as Jem straightened up to imitate of Will. "Why would you be a LightWORM, when you can be a Herondale?"

Tess couldn't help it, and a laugh bubbled to her throat and escaped her lips. She backed up to the wall, needing its support, as she laughed. Jem had began to laugh softly as well, while Jace, Alec, and Clary looked on in confusion.

"Stop it! Jace can be anyone he wants to be; he doesn't have to be a Herondale if he doesn't want to! Who do you think you are, appearing out of nowhere and claiming Jace for our own?" Maryse burst out, effectively ending all laughter.

"Maryse, it's ok, she's not pressuring me to do anything! Besides, it's not like anyone COULD make me do anything -"

"It's true, you know," Clary interjected, and winked at Jace.

"Please, believe me when I say, that that was not my intention. Jace is your son in every way except for blood, and you're right, he should be the one to choose."

Maryse visibly deflated, though the tension still remained in the air. She looked pointedly at Jace.

"I want to be a Herondale." Jace said. "Maryse, you are still by mother, and Alec and Izzy my siblings, but, Tessa could recognize me as a Herondale on the spot. My ancestors sound like good people, and I don't think want the Herondales to disappear either." Jace said, staring at the walk between Tessa and Maryse, not able to look at either.

"Ok, Jace," Maryse said, when the door admitted one more person.

Magnus strode in, his demeanor tense. "Hey guys, now that family time is over, we've got a problem..."


End file.
